On minimum quality in typeface design

Lecture delivered at the 5th Encontro de Tipografia, Barcelos, Portugal

Transcript

1. 5ET | 29 November 2014
   On minimum quality 

   in typeface design
   

   Gerry Leonidas
   

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2. [start with an observation about 

   the car industry in the 1970s]
   This talk will cover three 

   notions, one argument, 

   and one call to action.
   

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3. 1 industry and ownership
   2 value and visibility
   3 information and quality
   > trends, genre, and creativity
   > some intentions to act
   

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4. Industry and ownership
   

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5. A comparison of type-making
   technologies, with a comment on the 

   shift from manufacturing processes with
   dedicated equipment to knowledge
   professions with generic capital
   equipment.
   

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6. Linotype & Machinery Type Drawing Office
   

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7. Joana Correia’s workspace
   

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8. A comment on the economics 

   of early DTP equipment
   

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10. Discussion of “objects” that embody IP.
    Story of Linotype’s conversion to a rights
    holder, and Monotype’s transition to a
    digital services company.
    

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12. When industries open up, 

    existing ideas about ownership 

    and contribution change.
    First notion
    

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13. Value and visibility
    

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16. Comments on the disembodiment 

    of type, and the difficulties of identifying
    reliable representations of a typeface
    

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17. font-making environments 

    are commoditised
    

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18. the marginal cost 

    of a new font 

    trends to zero
    

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19. The added value of design 

    is redefined away from the 

    visible acts of practice
    Second notion
    

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20. Information and quality
    

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21. Discussing “how to evaluate quality?” 

    in relation to the range of possible 

    outputs.
    

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22. baby, these curves
    make me think
    naughty thoughts
    

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23. baby,  these  curves    
    make  me  think    
    naughty  thoughts
    baby, these curves
    make me think
    naughty thoughts
    baby, these curves
    make me think
    naughty thoughts
    baby, these curves
    make me think
    naughty thoughts
    baby, these curves
    make me think
    naughty thoughts
    baby, these curves
    make me think
    naughty thoughts
    baby, these curves
    make me think
    naughty thoughts
    

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24. A typeface does not contain 

    enough information 

    to explain itself.
    Third notion
    

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25. A typeface can only be evaluated 

    in relation to a context 

    that is external to anything that
    identifies the typeface as itself.
    

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26. 1 Ownership and contribution 

    change with the means of making.
    2 Value of design is disembodied.

    3 Evaluation relies on context.
    Recap
    

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27. Trends, genres, and creativity
    Extending the discussion
    

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28. SCH: …almost anything is possible 

    if a good argument is provided,[…] if
    the design is not among the accepted
    conventions of the moment possibly
    it will be in the future (or not)
    (A student question)
    

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29. The rules for evaluation are
    determined by context.
    Starting point, then
    

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30. These rules aren't linear: 

    they apply with a force that 

    is analogous to the deviation 

    from the convention.
    

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31. Then let’s assume that we can represent
    them as points in a coordinate space (this
    is oversimplifying, but imagining more than
    two dimensions is tricky): they will form a
    cloud that is fairly dense. The strength of
    the patterns for new typefaces that do a
    comparable job will be very weak near the
    centre of the cloud, and progressively
    stronger as you move away.
    

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32. So, if Minion is at the centre, then Cardea 

    is a little bit further out (so the designer
    can make it individual but it still is a
    “comfortably readable typeface for prose 

    in Northern Europe”, and Capucine is 

    going too far.
    

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34. Cardea
    Minion
    Capucine
    

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35. This “context cloud” shifts slowly,
    across genres.
    

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36. [Oversimplifying] Conventions develop
    slowly, gradually populated by a cloud of
    typefaces. 

    Imagine a cloud moving slowly from an
    “old-style / transitional serifs” position 

    to a “low-contrast slabs” position, to a
    “modulated sans” position over twenty 

    or thirty years, as peoples’ reading habits
    evolve.
    

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37. > trends
    > genres
    > motivators
    > outliers
    

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38. Redefining trends of use;
    genres of typefaces for specific uses;
    motivator typefaces that shift genres to
    contribute to a trend; and
    outlier typefaces, that may generate spikes
    of attention, and enable other typefaces to
    act as motivators
    

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39. So how to judge quality beyond 

    genre, purpose, and identity?
    

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40. We can set “objective” criteria 

    for well-formed shapes, spaces, 

    and behaviours.
    

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41. /gerryleonidas
    

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42. Reminder of criteria for type reviews, 

    which are embedded in a previous
    presentation in Warsaw
    

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43. Pointers for typeface reviews (1/3):
    > fit of typeset text within the brief
    > key dimensions within the body
    > stroke thickness range
    > balance of key strokes and space 

    within and between letters
    

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44. Pointers for typeface reviews (2/3):
    > stroke modulation
    > in/out stroke recipes
    > alignments in H and V axes
    > transitions between letter elements
    

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45. Pointers for typeface reviews (3/3):
    > relating of inner and outer strokes
    > letter shapes within key patterns
    > integration of exceptions
    

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46. How do we support this 

    on a global scale?
    

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47. Verdana and Georgia (1996) embody 

    Microsoft’s first moves away from 

    print.
    The  ClearType  fonts (2003)    represented 

    a  bet  in portable, flat  screens.
    

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48. Adobe’s Source Sans Pro 

    and Serif Pro are just notable
    examples in a very long line 

    of fonts that set baselines.
    

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49. We have a plan to make available 

    online a series of resources to support
    people who want to start learning 

    about typeface design
    

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50. Two phases:
    > Typeface and typeform 

    fundamentals
    > Design for typographic setting
    

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51. - Key properties of text typefaces
    - Shapes contributing to homogeneity / individuality
    - Key proportions in the lowercase
    - Stroke thickness as a unit of measurement
    - Balancing key strokes and space
    - Stroke modulation and transitions to vertical strokes
    - In- and outstroke recipes
    - Optical alignments in the horizontal axis
    - Patterns and exceptions in lettershapes
    - Dimensions within and across cases
    

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52. - Setting parameters from a typographic brief
    - Body sizing for paragraph setting
    - Case differentiation for different briefs
    - Family composition planning
    - Mapping families to CSS weights
    - Planning weights and styles within paragraphs
    - Planning weights and styles for editorial typography
    - Planning weights and styles for complex texts
    

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53. What next?
    Closing comments
    

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54. Thank you, and get in touch
    @gerryleonidas
    @typefacedesign
    reading.ac.uk/typography
    typefacedesign.net
    

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